A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Dr. Fritzlan studied elementary mathematics teachers' experiences of relationship with community and place in the Lower Mainland of BC. Her work illuminates practices of developing culturally responsive ways of reaching out to families, examining socio-cultural values embedded in curriculum, and making connections with cyclical patterns of place. | Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Christopherson developed novel polymer nanomaterials with biological relevance and subsequently used these polymers to sense the temperature of systems and to visualize cancer cells. Her research illuminated new ways of developing nanoparticles for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. | Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Analyzing data stored in a distributed fashion requires new statistical strategies. Dr. Zhang developed novel approaches to combine summary information from separate locations under finite mixture models. Her work is useful for combining information in the data collected from and stored at different health centres and government agencies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Acquah assessed the effects of thinning on the dynamics of uneven-aged interior Douglas-fir stands in central British Columbia over a 21-year period. She found that the treatments enhanced the rate of stand development in a number of ways compared to unthinned controls. This study helps in planning future thinning treatments in this stand type. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Howatt examined how physical oceanic processes influence the distribution of zooplankton. She found that stratification and flows with different geographic origins had more influence on zooplankton, but flow around a submarine canyon and turbulence had little influence. These findings are important for understanding and predicting ocean habitat. | Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Chakraborti examined families involvement in adapted physical activity programs for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. She found parents formed peer support networks, promoting a sense of community. This demonstrates a potential innovative approach to overcome social isolation among families while supporting child development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Pedroza studied the encapsulation of cell-based therapies for treating diabetes. He introduced methods to improve immobilization of insulin-producing cells in alginate microspheres and fibres. His research advanced our knowledge on optimization of cell encapsulation processes and will improve the quality of alternatives for diabetes reversal. | Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Bagatini-Cachuço developed and implemented a seismic performance assessment framework for pre-engineered steel buildings in Canada. His findings significantly improved the design method for pre-engineered steel buildings thus making the Canadian infrastructure more resilient towards future earthquakes. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Moore developed new theory to explain the nature and causes of a phenomenon among Japanese-English bilinguals in which they distance themselves from their Japanese first language and culture. Terming the phenomenon first language dissociation, he identified a complex set of psychological and social factors that contribute to its emergence. | Doctor of Philosophy in Teaching English as a Second Language (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Karamouzian characterized polysubstance use practices among people with opioid use disorder and the increased risk of overdose among certain subgroups of the population. The findings provide practical implications for measuring and addressing polysubstance use in substance use research, clinical decision-making, and policy development. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Eng Stime explored how public health practitioners examining mining impacts on Indigenous health in Canada are drawn into ignoring health inequities associated with dispossession while presenting a veneer of benevolent care. The research illuminates storylines and assumptions of inevitability, offering relational consent as an alternative. | Doctor of Philosophy in Population and Public Health (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Larocque characterized soil chemistry and soil biological communities in the salmon forests of British Columbia. These studies advance our understanding of the interconnection between marine and terrestrial environments. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2022 | Dr. Alsaleh developed novel artificial intelligent based microscopic simulation models for vulnerable road user interactions. His models showed high accuracy in predicting road user evasive action mechanisms. His research will aid in developing better understanding of road user behavior and studying various applications, including road user safety. | Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Dehn used short-lived elementary particles called muons to study the magnetic and electronic properties of transition-metal compounds. His studies demonstrated that bound states comprised of a positive muon and an electron exist in magnetic materials, and explored the implications of this discovery for the study of magnetism with muons. | Doctor of Philosophy in Physics (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Balthazaar longitudinally examined cardiac alterations of individuals in the months following spinal cord injury. He also investigated the impact of exercise modalities on cardiac adaptations in this population. His work brings to light the cardiac changes after spinal cord injury and can help guide clinical practice and future research. | Doctor of Philosophy in Experimental Medicine (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Ge studied novel ways to make polymeric micro sensors and actuators. He successfully developed a platform technology to fabricate capacitive microelectromechanical systems using photoresist. His technology is useful to emerging applications such as Internet of things and wearable electronics | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Sandeep's dissertation showed considerations of just energy transition for fossil fuel workers and their communities. This knowledge will aid in a more holistic understanding of the implications of fossil fuel industry declines on communities, by incorporating spatial, temporal, and justice aspects of transition. | Doctor of Philosophy in Resources, Environment and Sustainability (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Shahriari developed a control algorithm to maintain a constant electric field in the cavity resonators that accelerate electrons. This controller predicts and corrects field fluctuation due to previous particles in the electron beam. Her research results in improved electron beam quality which can be used for various scientific research topics. | Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PhD) |
| 2021 | In our changing climate, floods and landslides are likely to be more frequent in mountainous regions. Dr. Leenman studied how such changes could influence the steep streams on alluvial fans, which are depositional landforms in these areas. Her work shows how the frequency and magnitude of natural hazards on fans may respond to climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Thompson's dissertation research made progress toward understanding how hybridization between species drives the origin of species. His studies illustrated the critical role of ecology in mediating this process and identified new ways to study natural selection acting on hybrids in field studies. | Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Salmasi measured medication taking in atrial fibrillation patients in BC. She revealed that patients exhibit distinct patterns of medication taking over time. Study findings can inform the design of interventions to improve medication taking, and ultimately avoid preventable strokes and deaths in patients with atrial fibrillation. | Doctor of Philosophy in Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Wojcik studied how cognitive and affective processes affect trauma-related distress in adults. She found that across populations maladaptive cognitions can worsen negative self-appraisals following traumatic events. This knowledge will help improve clinical interventions for PTSD, depression, and other forms of trauma-related distress. | Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Greene examined the fire histories and developmental processes of dense, dry forests in southeastern BC. He found that Indigenous fires shaped historical fire regimes, and today's dense forests are novel byproducts of European colonization. His study advances forest management that aims to enhance forest resilience to fires and climate change. | Doctor of Philosophy in Forestry (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Yu examined what people would predict when jointly seeing two predictive cues. He found that people made conjunctive predictions that represented the overlap of the outcomes predicted by the cues. The results contribute to the understanding of human predictions and are helpful to those who design signage and labelling for the general public. | Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Franzen's dissertation added to our conceptual understanding of systemic violence. Asking how Nazi Germany's juridical genocide practically and paradoxically worked, her research showed how aspects of a subjectively civilized and heroic norm/self-education, systemic embraces of subversive acts and some prisoner's survival identity formed part of its functioning. | Doctor of Philosophy in Germanic Studies (PhD) |